Broadcast 2546 (Special Edition)

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Guest: Mark Whittington; Topics: We discussed Mark's new book, "Why Is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon.? Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience. We welcomed Mark Whittington back to the show for this 1 hour 56 minute discussion of his new book, "Why Is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?," During the first segment of our program, Mark introduced us to the book and immediately said that the missing element in being able to go back to the Moon is the lack political support and leadership to drive the return to the Moon program. Mark also spoke to the need for the president to lead the effort, then he did a brief historical overview over both Bush presidencies plus the Clinton administration. He talked about the Space Exploration Initiative, Constellation, and the ISS. As you will hear, listeners had much to say about Mark's examples as they added to this short historical summary of this part of the space program. Doug called to mention the high costs of the Altair lander as a cause for shutting down Constellation. Mark disagreed with Doug to some extent because with a president that wanted to keep the program, the problems would have been fixed. Michael Listener emailed us about the drawbacks of international partners and policies per the return to the Moon effort. Michael said The ISS was completed over many administrations because it was the result of an international treaty so it was not a good example of a program surviving multiple administrations. Before the break, Kelly sent in an email to make the point that Constellation was not really cancelled. Instead, surviving components were given a new name but the projects continue. In the second segment, Mark started out by talking about his book which can be ordered from most bookstores but it is also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. The book is also available as Kindle on amazon. He said it was a short book, an easy read. The paperback sells for $6 while the Kindle version sells for $2.00. Remember, if you use The Space Show/OGLF portal, Amazon will make a contribution to the show. Instructions for doing this are on all archived summary statements on the website and the blog, plus you can see them on both The Space Show website and the One Giant Leap Foundation site. Mark talked about getting the book in the hands of congressional members and staffers, then talked about individual space lobby efforts for returning to the Moon and even sending a copy of the book to one's representatives or their staffers. Policy making and the 2016 elections were a big part of this segment of the show. Later he was asked for his thoughts on settlement which he supported. He was also asked about HE3, fusion, and a permanent resource base on the Moon. The recent ELA study on more efficient ways to go back to the Moon came up along with a few other topics. In talking about his book's recommendations, he talked about outreach to the public, the media, international partners, the commercial sector, and students. Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can reach Mark through me or his blog which is referenced in his bio.

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